Montclair State University's Theatre Night Awards

Congratulations to all of this year's Foxy Nominees!

Find the full list of nominees on our website: https://sites.google.com/montclair.edu/msutheatrenightawards/home

Join us as we celebrate outstanding student achievement in theatre across New Jersey at this year’s Theatre Night Awards ceremonies:

📅 Middle School Ceremony
Wednesday, May 20, 2026 - 6:00pm

📅 High School Ceremonies
Thursday, May 21, 2026
Musicals - 6:00pm
Plays - 7:30pm

📍 Location:
Memorial Auditorium
Montclair State University

🎟️ Tickets go on sale April 15, 2026!
Purchase tickets before by April 30 and save $5 each. Purchase here! https://msutnawards.booktix.com/

Don’t miss this incredible celebration of student artistry, creativity, and storytelling.

Theatre Night Awards Nominate Your Production

Hello Directors!

We’re excited to announce that registration for the 18th Annual Theatre Night Awards (The Foxy Awards) is now open! We’ve made several updates this season to better reflect the range of programs across New Jersey and to keep the competition meaningful, fair, and inspiring for students.

What’s New This Season
High School Program Tiers (new names):
We’ve refined the high school categories to: Foundational, Established, and Comprehensive.

Properties Design — it’s back!
After a 10-year hiatus, Properties Design returns as an adjudicated category.

Featured Ensemble Actor/Actress (new):
Recognizing standout ensemble performances with a dedicated category.

Ceremony Scheduling:
The Middle School and High School ceremonies will be held on separate days this year. We will once again do 3 ceremonies - one Middle School ceremony that honors both plays and musicals and two separate High School ceremonies - one that honors Musicals & one that honors High School Plays.

Pilot: Elementary “Rising Star” Award:
We’re piloting an elementary school Rising Star recognition, which will be announced during the Middle School ceremony.

Competition Structure (important)

Middle School productions will still be divided only by play and musical for production and performance awards.

• High school production and performance awards will no longer be separated by genre (comedy, drama, sci-fi, etc); they will be divided between musical and play and then adjudicated further by program tier (Foundational/Established/Comprehensive).

• We will no longer guarantee two nominations per production upon entry. Instead, we are adding an Honorable Mention designation to recognize notable work that falls just shy of a nomination.

Opening Number Participation:
Each registered production may have two student actors perform in the opening number at the Foxy Awards—participation does not require a nomination. (More details to follow.)

Performance Slots at Each Ceremony:
We will have 10 performance slots per ceremony. If your production receives a nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Direction of a Play or Musical, you’ll be invited to present either a 90-second scene or a 90-second song.
• If you choose a song, your actors will need to rehearse on the day of the ceremony (details forthcoming).
• Performance invitations and logistics will be included with nomination announcements on April 15, 2026.

Key Dates (2025–26)
Registration Opens: September 2, 2025

All Materials & Payment Deadline: January 15, 2026

Jo Anne Fox Nomination Deadline: February 1, 2026

Nominations Announced & Tickets On Sale: April 15, 2026

Middle School Ceremony: May 20, 2026 (Memorial Auditorium, MSU)

High School Ceremonies (Musicals & Plays): May 21, 2026 (Memorial Auditorium, MSU)

How to Register
Register your production(s):

High School - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdC4czr4o-CzAgvJmlcUxl8p2R1oUvTktwMMCOvJuX7AJEE2A/viewform

Middle School -
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc8S1k3p0BR45f0kMYA9u-NFbe9_jiaSvpaSMLy9vqtI0W-UA/viewform

Elementary School -
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdkuht4937ceuMKd1yTFePgNeAwWL99jx9I6PVxpM8mzV1Oug/viewform

Full guidelines, rubrics, and FAQs: https://sites.google.com/montclair.edu/msutheatrenightawards/home

Questions? Reply to this email or contact us at [email protected].

We can’t wait to celebrate your students’ work and artistry this season. Thank you for the craft, care, and community you build in your programs—see you at the Foxys!

2026 Theatre Night Awards Registration Form - Elementary School 🌟 Elementary School Rising Star Award 🌟 Celebrating the youngest voices in New Jersey theatre! We are thrilled to announce a brand-new category at the 18th Annual Theatre Night Awards: the Elementary School Rising Star Award! This special recognition highlights the creativity, energy, and arti...